Rock 'n' ROFL II (Monday night @ Pianos): the Comedy Lineup

Will Franken is playing Rock ‘n’ ROFL II
Will Franken

Rock ‘n’ ROFL is a new monthly comedy and music series at Pianos in NYC brought to you by BrooklynVegan & Klaus Kinski, and which is now also made possible thanks to the help of the awesomeness that is The Sound of Young America – “A Public Radio Show About Things That Are Awesome”.

Last month we debuted the series with the very funny comedy lineup of Joe Mande, Dave Hill, Pete Holmes, Kristen Schaal, Leo Allen, and Bobby Tisdale (host). Last month the comedy also went for 90 minutes and you had to stand. This time, based on your feedback, we’ve reduced the comedy segment to just 60 minutes (which is then followed by 3 hours of music), AND there will be chairs set up during that hour of comedy (which will quickly be removed before the first band hits the stage). This month’s show is March 31st (THIS MONDAY!) (at Pianos),

The bands who are playing will be announced shortly. The comedians who are playing Monday night are pictured, described and listed below…..

by Klaus Kinski

Sean O’Connor
Sean OConnor

Our host for this 2nd edition of Rock n’ ROFL will be Sean O’ Connor. Sean is like 10 years younger than me and I feel like he’s done way more with his life than I’ve done with mine. Foremost, he’s funny as hell. He was one third of comedy showcase Here’s The Thing along with Nick Maritato and Andrew Wright. He was also part of the Still Born in the USA tour with Maritato, Wright, and Jonah Ray, and he was even featured on an episode of PRI’s This American Life. Plus, the guy gigs like crazy.

Kumail Nanjiani
Kumail Nanjiani

I’ve only seen comedian Kumail Nanjiani once and it was when he was opening for Eugene Mirman at Comix. The buzz surrounding Kumail is hard to ignore, and when I saw him at Comix he blew me and my friends away. His delivery and style are so engaging. I became an immediate fan. In a January 24th interview with Gothamist, Mirman said the Kumail is among the funniest comedians not enough people know about….but I am not sure how long he’ll stay in obscurity. Having recently moved here from Chicago, Kumail is blazing a serious trail. If you want to get acquainted with Kumail prior to Rock n’ ROFL, definitely check out his one man show Kumail Nanjiani: Unpronounceable at UCB this Friday. And read this ASAPs.

Larry Murphy and friends
Larry Murphy and friends

Larry MurphyWhenever I talk to people about Larry Murphy, I find myself saying the exact same thing: “Dude, Larry Murphy is so facking funny.” He sums himself up pretty well on his myspace page:

I am a comic & performer living in NYC. I voice the main characters on an animated cartoon show called ASSY MCGEE that returns to Adult Swim April 2008. I also co-host the weekly ECNY WINNING VARIETY show Friday nights at Rififi with Greg Johnson. We bring to the stage some of the most talented standup in NY…along with the occasional inspired sketch, character or video.

As a performer, the guy is a genius. Whether he’s hitting the stage as Puppets ‘n’ Such, Sal Lupo, or one of his other characters, Larry not only leaves me in stitches every time, he also leave me completely in awe of his talents. He brings so much to every show he participates in. I’m so stoked he’s on the bill.

Will FrankenWill Franken. Every chance I’ve had to see this guy live has somehow been screwed up for one reason or another. His reputation as an absurdist-performance artist-comedian has made him, for me, one of the most sought after comedians in town. The fact that my first Will Franken experience will be at Rock n’ ROFL is ridiculously awesome. I urge every person reading this to check out his podcasts, watch his videos , and listen to his MP3s.

So, to recap: The comedians that will be performing from 8-9pm at Pianos in NYC on March 31st, 2008 ARE: Will Franken, Larry Murphy, Kumail Nanjiani, Sean O’ Connor AND TBA. The music lineup is also TBA and contains a very special guest or two that we may not be allowed to announce until the day of the show. Most likely there will also be an open bar again. Stay tuned.